Art: of Government and Man

I am in a summer course right now for Western Art History. It begins with the earliest art found and we are now currently covering Greece. The one thing that I notice most in the history of early art is a truth that runs throughout all of human history.
Humans are naturally drawn together; as larger groups form, so are governments. These governments; to keep their power, divide people, most notably with racism.
Looking at art from all over the world, it is obvious that people are fundamentally the same as they always have been. A piece of art from thousands of years ago has the same heart as something made today, no matter where it is from. It is also noted that in the story behind this ancient art: There are often governments contracting works to glorify the governing and demonize those who are different. Kings make indisputable claims of Godly decent to hold themselves above the common man and tell the ruled that people from other groups are backward or evil and that only through the guidance and power of their heavenly king can save and protect them.
In reality we are all alike. We all smile when we are happy and cry when we are sad. We all just want to be safe and leave this world a better place for future generations and corrupt governments only hinder that basic human want.
This timeless issue is what the founders of the United States struggled with. They knew that people inherently bind together and need a governing body, but that governments separate people and hold them down. The founders used all the knowledge of the time and came up with a great system, but it was not a perfect system, honestly what is? The imperfections of the system are what has led us to this very moment where it is on the verge of destruction.
Giving even more power to the Fed? I’m not even sure how it’s possible to give the Fed more power when it’s not part of the US Government, and socialized health care that will bankrupt the country into oblivion.
I wonder what will be said about us a thousand years from now?

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 19th, 2009 at 3:34 am and is filed under Art, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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